The Gist

Kamala Harris, or at least some fans, try to remix her way to Coolsville, but there's a detour into Dorksylvania. Sure, go ahead, every candidate gets that treatment, and it all evens out into a thin lime-green meme. Also on the show, we speak with Ibrahim Nash'at, an Egyptian filmaker who imbedded with a group of Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan following the US military withdrawal. The resulting...

So Biden didn't say goodbye, but he did explain that duty surpassed ambition in his decision to not seek re-election. Jonah Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Dispatch , drops by to discuss some of the Biden theses. We will also diagnose where Kamala Harris now stands, and where she needs to move to win the favor of the median voter, a person too often forgotten as we chase the label of being "brat....

Kyle Clark, anchor and debate moderator for 9NEWS, Denver's NBC affiliate, recently got a lot of attention for his deft moderation of a debate between Lauren Boebert and five Republican rivals. The kudos were deserved, and in this feature interview, Clark discusses how to conduct a good debate, his critique of CNN's recent debate, and which of the latest trends in long-form interviewing annoy him....

Astead Herndon, host of The New York Times ' podcast The Run-Up , has been covering Kamala Harris for a while. He was the Times' campaign reporter for Harris' 2020 presidential campaign, and last year he wrote the extensive and fairly devastating profile titled, "In Search of Kamala Harris" for The New York Times Magazine . He here to discuss Harris' skill set, why the cross pressures of the past...

After party leaders, donors, and voters made clear that they didn't want Joe Biden running, this past weekend, the President bowed out. Vice President Kamala Harris is there to take the mantle. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, staff writer for The New Yorker , joins us to talk about the factors that contributed to Biden's decision, the opportunities for Harris to make inroads, and if other Democratic polit...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we replay Mike's examination of the polarizing effect of fiery political rhetoric is blamed for political violence. And, with political violence on all American minds, we listen back to our 2015 interview with Bryan Burrow who explains what America's radical underground revolutionaries from the 1970s are up to now. He is the author of Days Of Rage: America'...

Donald Trump spoke for the first time since being shot. He was muted, then rageful ... as usual. We also heard from Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, and a retinue of supporters and paid employees who spoke of his kindness, politeness, and golf swing. Plus, when politicians achieve a policy goal they've long promised, they crow about it, whether they be promises kept on tax cuts, military spending, or other p...

On Day One of the 2024 Republican National Convention, five of the six black Republicans in congress spoke to the crowd. Burgess Owens was the sixth, and we tracked him down on the floor of the convention to hear why he, and other black men, are supporting Trump. Also on the show, misleading calls-and-response at the RNC. Plus, the unveiling of the J. D. Vance. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey...

With Day 2 of the RNC now in the rearview mirror, we will listen to Mike's interviews with Lauren Boebert and Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate David McCormick, who was in the front row of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Plus, a cute bulldog's middling political prognostication, and a breakdown of the statistics around the crime rates of unlawful immigrants versus the impact on...

A run down of the major themes of Day One of the RNC, from gas prices to the many black Republicans who took the stage. Plus, JD Vance and DJ Trump are mirror images. Also, as the polarizing effect of fiery political rhetoric is blamed for political violence, we hear from dozens of Republicans who agree, deflect, deny, explain, excuse, acknowledge. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email u...

Other than political brinksmanship, the fraying of societal norms, an ocean of bad information, and nearly unchecked gun ownership, how have we arrived at this moment in which people think the way to settle an election is with an assault rifle? Mike is in Miluakee for the RNC, and he will explain. Also, we are joined by Abby Kiesa, Deputy Director at Tufts University's Center for Information and R...

This week, we dedicate our weekend Best Of show to an interview Mike did on Yascha Mounk's podcast, The Good Fight . Mike is the guest in this wide-ranging conversation about media and society, and Yascha's voice is very calming. Enjoy. Thanks to Yascha, Brendan, and Jack at The Good Fight for letting us use their episode. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com...

Gabriela Cowperthwaite and investigative reporter Nate Halverson join Mike to talk about their film about the international militias and governments waging a war for water, The Grab . Plus, Biden passes his presser, judging on the curve of his capabilities. Also, when Broadway brilliance becomes basic. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the...

In the United States, we're told that democracy is "on the ballot." But how do the very people making those claims enjoin the battle to save it? In France, they pulled back from a far right victory. We're joined by Yascha Mounk, the Editor in Chief of Persuasion , a Johns Hopkins Professor, and author of, The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure . Produced b...

A New York Times front page investigation tallies up all the bird nests (nine total) and other flora, fauna, and civil war battlefields "discommoded" by launches of SpaceX rockets. We contemplate the price of progress vs. the piping plover. Plus, getting French elections shamelessly wrong, and a three-way 1950's Meet The Press -style conversion between Mike, journalist Eric Zorn of The Picayune Se...

Sadie Dingfelder (or at least someone of her general shape wearing the same outfit) is back to talk more about her research and her new book, Do I Know You?: A Faceblind Reporter's Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination . Plus, the Alec Baldwin trial begins, and how the extremist MAGA Republican nominee for Governor in North Carolina didn't say the things he's alleged to have s...

The faceblind but otherwise incredibly observant Sadie Dingfelder drops by to discuss her new book, Do I Know You?: A Faceblind Reporter's Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination . Plus, Joe Biden does well in interviews which seek to assure the Australian nuclear submarine enthusiast community. He also takes credit for some things he previously distanced himself from, and voter...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a couple interviews from the vault in honor of Independence Day. First up, historian Gordon S. Wood explains why the friendship between founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and John Adams should give us hope. Then Mike talks about founding fathers' thighs with Alexis Coe, author of You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington . Produced by Joe...

Americans talk a big game about the U.S. Constitution and its role in guiding the nation for nearly 250 years, but few try to live strictly by the words of said document. AJ Jacobs is one of them. For a year, this patriot upheld the high values, carried a musket in public, and struggled against the oppression of Revolutionary era socks, and he is out with the book, The Year of Living Constitutiona...

Phil Elwood was a marketer and strategist who helped the governments of Libya, Qatar, Nigeria, and not quite but almost Syria make their cases on the world stage. He was also involved in the Mueller probe, and had a toe touch with Cambridge Analytica. In other words, he's a fascinating, conflicted, but mostly contrite figure, and author of All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoo...

Donald Trump lies a lot, and his acolytes construct permission structures to excuse those lies. On the other hand, Joe Biden put forward a cringe-worthy performance, and his VP engaged in some BET Awards cringiness of her own. Voters are more likely to punish cringe. Plus, Phil Elwood put together PR and public policy campaigns for dictators and rogue states. It paid ok, but also, it almost destro...

SCOTUS gives immunity to Presidents for official acts, and leaves it to lower courts to define (and maybe get overruled on) what constitutes "official acts." Plus, Sarah Isgur, of ABC and The Dispatch, is here again to break down a slew of other Supreme Court cases. Plus, a compendium of some of the most prominent voices arguing that concerns about Joe Biden's age were just Republican talking poin...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, the remainder of Mike's interview with Ben Smith and Nayeema Rasa, co-hosts of the new Semafor podcast Mixed Signals . Topics touched upon include (but are not limited to) naming a podcast, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the future of media. To hear part one of this interview, listen to our show from Wednesday, June 26, 2026. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara...

Jospeh Robinette Biden did not cover himself in glory in last night's debate. As Democrats discuss changing horses midstream, The Gist analyses what went wrong besides the obvious mental discombobulations. Our guest is Sarah Isgur, ABC legal expert, Senior Editor at The Dispatch, and veteran campaign adviser including to Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, and Mitt Romney. Plus, we trace the circle of blame...

With big sporting, cultural, and political events occurring all at once, Mike offers a contemplation of the nature and purpose of speculation about things that are definitely going to happen one way or the other. Plus, Thomas Kail and Lior Ashkenazi are director and actor in the Hulu series We Were The Lucky Ones, the telling of a true story about a family's nearly impossible survival during the H...